Area rabbi: Hamas, Hezbollah battle is not with Israel, it's the whole western world

Former IDF soldier will be featured speaker at Oct. 7 remembrance at Jewish Center in Newington (Courtesy image)

NEWINGTON - Rabbi Berel Slavaticki of the Seacoast Chabad Jewish Center in Newington called today "a difficult day," but the Jewish people have always been resilient, and they will continue to be that no matter what.
"The brutality of that day one year ago is so obvious; it was the worst slaughter since the Holocaust," he said. "Children were pulled from their beds that day and killed horribly. But we don't forget, just like Holocaust survivors don't forget."
To mark the anniversary of Oct. 7 when some 1,200 Israelis were murdered and hundreds taken hostage, they will hold a remembrance of that dark day on Tuesday when the featured speaker will be an Israeli Defense Force Forward Recon and Combat Engineer who was wounded during the battle with the terrorist group Hamas.
Rabbi Berel said it has been shocking to see crowds calling for the annihilation of the Jewish state and Jews worldwide, and he acknowledges they are "not a minority."
"The people brutally murdered all those people last Oct. 7 simply because they have Israeli blood, and it is shocking that people around the world are marching in support of Hamas. Our allies are fewer than we thought, but we still feel the outpouring of love from so many supporters."
Looking down the road to the future of the Jewish people he stressed that "the only way to overcome hate and darkness is that we add light to the world and live a proud Jewish life of goodness and peace for those who were murdered."
Rabbi Beril said the IDF has been aggressive in their war with both Hamas and Hezbollah, both Iranian proxies.
"Israel's vigorous military action is apparent, but we're not alone, there is God's hand in this," he added.
Regarding the pro-Hamas and Hezbollah rallies in the U.S., he noted that "Antisemitism's not a new thing. A lot of nations wanted to get rid of us, but we're still here. And terrorism starts with antisemitism."
He finished by saying that Israel is not only fighting for the Jewish people.
"Israel is not only protecting itself, but the rest of the world, so you'd think more people would be backing us," he said. "We are the first line of defense. The terrorists' mission is against the whole western world."
To learn more about Tuesday's remembrance click here